Foreword

nnovision, a manufacturer of graphics cards from Hong Kong, still little known in us has given us the Inno3D tornado GeForce 2 ultra made available. Inno3D is the one or other may already a term here in Germany, since they introduced a GeForce2 MX PCI, as well as a graphics card with KYRO chipset first. The Inno3D tornado GeForce2 Ultra is to delivery of the tornado GeForce3, which will appear in the next few weeks, the current top of the line from Inno3D. As the image is to recognize the Inno3D corresponds to tornado GeForce2 Ultra of accurate nVidia’s reference design. Under the green heat sinks, DDR 4ns hide RAM of elite. Here the GeForce 2 ultra takes off from the GTS and Pro, since due to the higher specification and the associated heat generation of the ultra version a major graphics chip fan and heatsink for the memory necessary are.

Scope of delivery

The deliverable of the Inno3D tornado GeForce2 Ultra is very generously obliged. As a software demo is located next to a CD with tools and drivers and nVidia 3D still 3DMark2000 Pro, Adobe Photo Deluxe Home Edition, WinDVD2000, as well as rage rally and midnight GT at. As a nice addition, nice original man also gets InnoVision mousepad. Only the optional TV-out module is not included but is available separately.

Technical data

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TV-out

In the TV-out the tornado GeForce2 Ultra, the as mentioned not included with the card is a familiar problem appeared on the same: for some time already the Broktree used on the nVidia reference design 869 chip. But unfortunately, this is only poorly supported by the driver, either with the detonator 6.50 still the 11.01 was get a good TV image. But thank God there are still the TV-tool, with an excellent image was to achieve.

To point out once again on it, the problem with the driver and the TV-out support is in very many GeForce cards and refers not only to the tornado GeForce2 Ultra.

Test configuration

• Software
  • Windows 98SE
  • DirectX 8 0a
  • Detonator 6.50
  • Detonator 11.01
• Hardware
  • Abit KT7 RAID
  • 950 MHz Athlon (9, 5x100MHz)
  • 256 MB RAM (2x128MB)
  • Western Digital WD400BB
  • Guillemot Maxi sound FORTISSIMO
  • Hewlett Packard CD-writer 8100
  • Logitech Cordless Desktop I-touch
  • Unex NIC ND010
• Test cards
  • Inno3D tornado GeForce2 Ultra
    • GeForce2 Ultra
    • 64 MB graphics memory
  • ASUS V6800
    • GeForce256 DDR
    • 32 MB graphics memory

[/ list] You can almost tell with intent, this time not with equivalent graphics card comparison was drawn, but with the ASUS V6800 DDR of a GeForce256 DDR, about a year ago still the fastest available graphics card and some a year ago almost as expensive as a GeForce2 Ultra today, but after all cards are GeForce256 East even faster than that today almost to the basic of part of GeForce2MX cards. Among today’s high-end, will graphics cards if you for example the GeForce2 Ultra cards with each other compares only notice some a few percent difference in performance.

Benchmarks

The performance of the graphics card was determined by means of the following benchmarks:

• 3DMark2000 DirectX 7.0 (synthetic benchmark)
• 3DMark2001 DirectX 8.0 (synthetic benchmark)
• Vulpine GLMark OpenGL (synthetic benchmark)

• Unreal tournament DirectX 7.0 (first-person shooter)
• Aquamark DirectX 8.0 (action game)
• Quake III Arena OpenGL (first-person shooter)

Version 11.01 of the detonator was used in the DirectX 8.0 benchmarks, all other benchmarks the detonator was version 6.50 used.

3DMark2000

The 3DMark2000 of Madonion.com is a popular but purely synthetic benchmark and expresses therefore relatively little about the actual performance of the game. 3DMark 2000 offers values this game tests as well as theoretical fill-rate.

For 16-bit color depth the performance gain is the tornado GeForce2 Ultra in contrast to the ASUS V6800 52.5%, for 32-bit even 63.75%. Especially here, the difference between the two series of graphics cards is very hard to detect. While the ASUS V6800 GeForce256 DDR, the ultra model of the time, still on the, tornado of GeForce is 2 ultra at the Inno3D used.

Unreal tournament

Unreal tournament uses the CPU heavily, and offers many effects. The game benefits from a high memory bandwidth of Grafikkarten-and system memory. Although Unreal Tournament supports various interfaces such as S3TC, glide, OpenGL and Direct3D, we only use Direct3D in 32 bit color depth, with maximum quality.

The Unreal Tournament UTbench is highly CPU limited. He shows a match with 16 bots in DM-Gothic. While at a resolution of 800 x 600 x 32 the GeForce ultra just front with 1.28%, the difference in 1024 x 768 x 32, 31,97% turns out already much more clearly. There are even 258% at a resolution of 1280 x 1024 x 32. Not to neglect also the minimum frame rates are, here the default resolution is 1024 x 768 x 32 specified as an example, while the minimum frame rate of the GeForce2 Ultra is 24, 89fps, comes the GeForce DDR with 10, 67fps much more to their limits. The GeForce2 from ultra especially their high memory bandwidth and the 64 MB of memory.

The Unreal Tournament benchmark is limited to less CPU and gives very good statements about the average performance. It shows a 4 against 4 capture the flag game with partly human players and bots. Here a performance increase of 18,01% at a resolution of 800 x 600 x 32, 1024 x 768 x 32 66,58% and 1280 x 1024 x 32 there is even 251,96%. Clearly, the GeForce2 Ultra profits from their high memory bandwidth and its 64 MB memory. As soon as higher resolutions are requested by the ASUS V6800, cancels performance.

Quake III Arena

Quake III Arena used exclusively OpenGL. First person shooter is characterized by a large number of polygons and complex scenarios. From a resolution of 1024 x 768 x 32, the request to the graphics card memory bandwidth is particularly high. Because many games on the Quake III engine based, the tests are very practical with Quake III.

From a resolution of 1024 x 768 the performance gain of the GeForce2 Ultra with 66.3% already significantly, at 1600 x 1200, it is even 248%. 

At the high level of detail the performance advantage of GeForce2 is clearly noticeable ultra ca 40% at a resolution of 800 x 600, while he is at the higher resolutions in contrast to normal detail level only to 100%.

Also here the various outputs of graphics cards is significantly early the, already at a resolution of 1024 x 768 x 32 the GeForce2 Ultra more than twice as fast as the GeForce256 DDR. Thanks to the 64 MB memory and not least also because of the high memory bandwidth of the GeForce2 Ultra looks the ASUS V6800 very beautiful old. Although the differences in the low are but frankly resolutions and not so serious, low levels of detail, who abandoned like effects and details, judder-free to play a game at resolutions over 800 x 600?

3DMark2001

Because the 3DMark2001 like the 3DMark2000 is a purely synthetic benchmark, this says in also relatively little about the game performance to be expected, there some graphics capabilities have been integrated, used by still no currently available game. The 3DMark2001 builds on the features of DirectX 8.0, and is optimized for GeForce3 and Pentiumsysteme, so here at the GeForce2 no bombastic difference to the GeForce 256 DDR is ultra.

As you can easily see the GeForce2 is faster than the somewhat elderly ASUS V6800 ultra approximately 41%. According to the Q3 and UT benchmarks might have been expected here, certainly more. A simple GeForce3 would achieve here but much more 3DMarks.

Vulpine GLMark

The GLMark has been developed by the German software company Vulpine and is a purely synthetic benchmark for OpenGL as well as 3DMark2000 and 3DMark2001 for DirectX. The benchmark is highly complex and can take advantage of some of the new GeForce3 features. The comparison of the two cards with each other is here not quite fair, since in the GeForce256 cards in this benchmark apparently vertex array range and OpenGL options can be used at the same time. Color depth was tested with maximum detail in the advanced features mode in 32 bit at a resolution of 1024 x 768.

The differences are here like to expect enormously, not only that one almost judder-free ultra could see the benchmark for the first time with the Gerforce2 and the, although the GeForce2 Ultra already at the lower limit hovers. The ASUS V6800 comes here just an average 20 or 19fps. While the ultra with 51 fps with 150%, significantly higher, with the maximum the GeForce2 Ultra even to be 200% higher, is at the minimum just to almost 130%.

Aquamark

Aquamark is a DirectX 8.0 benchmark and comes from the House of massive and is based on the wicked engine. He set up many features of the GeForce3, so not too high frame rates are expected. Shown is an underwater world and among others come here in a total 160 vertex shaders many effects used. Color depth was tested here with a resolution of 1024 x 768 in 32 bit.

How really is easy to see, sets the benchmark high demands on the graphics card, the GeForce 2 Ultra is 35% these values are not faster than the GeForce256 DDR, but famous, because the minimum fps already well below 10 FPS sink. The benchmark is already setting standards for the hardware of the day after tomorrow.

Overclocking

Perfectly the Inno3D ran tornado GeForce2 Ultra with a frequency of 300Mhz (GPU) and 500 MHz (memory), without even a single crash in continuous operation. To the default clock, this means an increase of 20% on the chip, the store after all just under 11%.

310/510Mhz were possible, but to promote the show not on the graphics card cemetery, this setting has been tested only on a trial basis. As was expected, the show releases hardly more power due to their already high specifications of 250 MHz chip and memory clock 460MHz.

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Just once up to 7.15% performance is from the Inno3D, ultra get tornado Georce2, where in reality, but usually less is expected. Just unreal the value can tournament is difficult to determine because here already a certain dispersion, and an overclocking of the card worth barely given the anyway high frame rates.

Conclusion

The performance of the Inno3D tornado GeForce2 Ultra is really impressive. Just at resolutions of 800 x 600, and 32-bit color depth the difference is clearly noticeable (in our case, it was an ASUS V6800 DDR GeForce 256 (GeForce1), which was faster than an overclocked GeForce2 MX to the test system after all still approximately 500 3dmarks (3DMark2000)). The difference in games is most evident such as Quake3 and Unreal Tournament, where not only the performance up to 260% was improved, but where it was also possible for the first time in high resolutions with maximum details to stutter-free games. And who renounces love to effects and details, in order to a game at resolutions over 800 x 600 games? InnoVision has placed a top product on the market with the tornado GeForce2 Ultra, and because the nVidia reference design was used, the map is must not hide despite their low price from its competitors.

&Lt; div > Inno3D tornado GeForce 2 ultra < div > positive properties

• perfect 3D performance
• extensive software package
• very good support
• low price